More money for Michigan's coastal areas

Fifteen coastal projects in Michigan have landed more than $927,000 of federal money.

Rachel Cromwell is with the Office of the Great Lakes Coastal Management Program. The state agency decides which projects will be funded.

“The overall objective is to help restore and protect and enhance coastal resources. So we’re looking at different areas like public access, restoration, habitat, things like that, to help bring back those coastal resources or preserve them," she says.

The projects include restoring critical dune areas, improving access to the Headlands Dark Sky Park west of Mackinaw City, and planning a water trail around Beaver Island. As the Coastal Management Program fact sheet describes:

Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan, located about 30 miles offshore from the City of Charlevoix in northwest Lower Michigan. It is a popular tourist destination, especially during the summer months. The island’s Chamber of Commerce seeks to expand and diversify the island’s tourism potential without sacrificing its quiet, rural character. A water trail around Beaver Island would support the island’s tourism-centered strategy for economic development.

The grant money comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.